The present application is in the field of French press coffee makers and, more particularly, is directed to a French press coffee maker that has a plunger assembly that is adjustable to selectively separate the coffee grounds from the liquid coffee.
It is well known to use French press coffee makers to xe2x80x9csteepxe2x80x9d coffee. Namely, boiling water is mixed with coarsely ground coffee in a container. After the coffee is allowed to steep for several minutes, one presses down on a handle, thus containing the grounds in the bottom of the container beneath a perforated disk. The disk is perforated to allow the liquid coffee to pass through the disk as the disk is being lowered through the liquid. The coffee can then be poured (or drunk directly) from the container while the grounds are prevented from flowing out of the container.
A disadvantage with French press coffee makers is that, as the grounds remain in contact with the water past the preferred steeping period, the coffee tends to become very strong and bitter, or just plain xe2x80x9cfunkyxe2x80x9d tasting. Thus, it is generally recommended to remove the coffee right at the end of the preferred steeping period.
However, this is impractical in some situation. For example, one might have a French press type commuter mug. It would be impractical to remove the coffee from the mug while commuting. As another example, thermal carafe French press coffee makers are becoming common, as they conveniently keep the coffee contained within them hot while the coffee sits, for example, at a dining table after a meal. In this case, convenience would be compromised by having to remove the coffee (or the grounds) at the end of the preferred steeping period.
A steeping apparatus is for steeping a solid food material in a liquid to impart a flavor of the solid food material to the liquid to produce a flavored beverage. A container is provided to hold the solid food material and the liquid. A plunger is movable with respect to the container between a first plunger position and a second plunger position. The plunger includes a filter element that, as the plunger moves from the first plunger position to the second plunger position, permits the flow of liquid therethrough but that substantially inhibits the passage of solid food material therethrough. A buffer element is selectable between a closed position and an open position. When the plunger is at the second plunger position and the buffer element is selected to be at the buffering position, the solid food material is substantially decoupled from the flavored beverage. When the buffer element is at the non-buffering position, the solid food material is not substantially decoupled from the flavored beverage.